Crosscutting; the use of cuts to shift between two scenes or events that are occurring simultaneously.

Denouement; the ‘knotting’ of the plots complications, in the case of a thriller or murder this is the point where all is revealed.

Diegesis; all the elements contained within the world of the film.

Diegetic; sound is any sound presented as originated from source within the film's world. Diegetic sound can be either on screen or off screen depending on whatever its source is within the frame or outside the frame. 

Fade; an editing technique whereby the screen dissolves toor black. A fade out is often followed by a fade in, leaving the audience in a few moments of darkness between the scenes.

Fenestration; the arrangement of windows in a building.

Linear structure; a narrative that presents events in a chronological order.

Mise en scene; ‘scene setting’ - this encompasses all of the visual elements within the frame. This includes actors, locations, sets, costumes, props and lighting.

Montage; a series of very short scenes, sometimes set to music.

Motif; a recurring image used to link ideas and reinforces themes, adding cohesion and unity to the text.

Panning; the movement of the camera when it is fixed on a tripod and rotates from side to side; panning creates the feeling of moving your head from one side to the other.

Voyeurism; looking closely at the behaviour of another person, without their permission, for one’s own gratification.

Zooming; the use of a zoom lens to change the focal length during a shot, creating the feeling that the camera is moving towards or away from the subject.